


Closed blue eyes

by CNS



Series: Blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bruce can talk to Hulk, Clint is Darcy's entertainment bro, Darcy getting injured, Hulk is guilty, Nobody likes enemy agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 13:50:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/812271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CNS/pseuds/CNS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy is injured, and Hulk is concerned. Bruce is too. And then Hulk starts withdrawing and pulling a Bruce-type self-guilt trip when Darcy isn't waking up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closed blue eyes

Bruce did not often see things as the Hulk saw them. He never saw them as they happened, yet here he was, seeing Darcy falling as if in slow motion. He felt the roar boil out of their chest, a sound of pure fury and cold terror. Muscles contracted as they tensed, then flung themselves into motion, bounding towards Darcy's still falling form, which was abruptly knocked sideways by shrapnel. The agent, he only knew they were not an ally, was swiftly taken care of for shooting at Darcy and shoving her off the building. It was an admittedly small building, but Christ have mercy on Darcy, she'd looked terrified and hopeful and relieved all at once as she'd glanced up from the ground and seen them. She wasn't even supposed to be here. She was supposed to be safe at Stark Tower and manhandling Jane. If this was about running out of pop tarts or something equally stupid he was going to steal every last pop tart in the country to make sure she didn't have to come out for Jane's selfish, crazy addiction. Oh Aesir he sounded hysterical, and since when had he started saying 'Aesir' instead of 'God'? They knuckled their way hurriedly over to Darcy, and the other guy touched her side with a massive finger, noting the soft gasp of pain as she looked up at them, already halfway to unconsciousness. "Darcy?" the other guy rumbled. "Darcy?" he repeated, his voice getting as small as a giant man's voice could. Small and scared and angry and unsure how to handle it.  
"O.... kay..." She slumped, passing out, and the other guy panicked. Instead of the normal panic routine of smashing anything that came near, the other guy practically tore his way back from the forefront of Bruce's mind, leaving the scientist stumbling and momentarily grateful for Reed Richards actually making a pair of Hulk pants for him.

\---

Darcy had some cracked ribs, and was going to have scars from where the shrapnel had cut up her side and leg. It hadn't actually been the shrapnel that threw her off a straight course to the ground, it turned out, but a shockwave from the bomb that had gone off. Bruce had not left her side since they'd brought her in. Jarvis had told him that Darcy had been out doing some shopping before the assembly alarm had gone off, so she was not in the tower when it went into lockdown. This possibly saved Jane a bashing from, surprisingly, Bruce. The other guy was keeping so low that if Bruce weren't actively searching for traces of him, he'd think that he'd suddenly been cured. Of course Darcy being injured and possibly dying would 'cure' him. The other guy was upset and frightened, and Bruce found himself staring in Darcy's general direction with glazed eyes more often than not, one of her hands clasped tightly in both of his as he tried to reassure his violent half and convince him that Darcy was not currently dying. The team didn't bother him, but they showed their support quietly with get well gifts for Darcy, meals for Bruce, and soft music constantly playing. Dummy had rolled in one afternoon and just trundled around, tidying up the room and occasionally poking at Bruce's shoulder to get him to eat.

They were starting to get really concerned though, and the other guy was becoming unresponsive to Bruce, because Darcy just was not waking up. She didn't seem to have hit her head, but who knew what that bomb might have carried, seeing as it was supposedly an experimental thing? The shockwave could have had some sort of virus implemented in it. Bruce was looking more and more haggard, and he didn't smell too fresh either, but he refused to leave her side unless he had to go to the bathroom. He even started barring anyone but Dummy from the room, becoming paranoid about how they might hurt Darcy accidentally. It was sad that it had taken all of a week without her vibrancy for him to get this broken. It was a combined effort from Jarvis and Dummy that got him to use the shower attached to the room, and to allow at least Clint in occasionally, because Clint knew a lot about Darcy's music tastes. More than Bruce (and didn't that make him feel guilty?) So Jarvis customized the playlist, and Bruce waited for two more days. He started talking quietly to her around the end of day two, but on day three, he rested his head forehead against her shoulder. "You probably think I'm being really dumb, keeping everyone out like this..." he mused softly. "Dumb, but sweet. Though how you can see me as sweet I don't know. I... Hulk and I... We're killers. We've basically committed murder, and nothing can ever atone for that because lives are precious, no matter who's they are, and yes I know I'm being stupid and somewhat hypocritical. But Darcy... We miss you. The oth- Hulk misses you so much he's barely even present in my thoughts, and he won't talk to me. It's like he's curled up in the corner of an imaginary room, and... well.... acting like me on a guilt trip. He- I- We both think it's our fault, even though there's no conceivable way for it to be. We could have moved faster, or asked Jarvis where you were when the alarm went off. We could have found you and brought you home where you would have been safe. It's horrible, Darcy, looking at you lying still like this. You- You're not supposed to be still. You're supposed to be full of life and throwing tomato slices at Tony when he tries to sabotage the Greek salad. You're supposed to be saving Steve from all the Lady Gaga music videos Clint's been showing him. You're supposed to talk about men with Pepper and Natasha and Jane while painting each others' nails. You're supposed to play video games and quote TV shows with Clint. You're supposed- you're supposed to bring me out when everything closes in and gets too overwhelming. You're supposed to tell me I'm being ridiculous when I tell you we can't be- be friends." Bruce shuddered, holding back tears with the ease of long practice. "You're supposed to smile at me and ask me what I think of your lipstick and whatever you've found on ThinkGeek that you've convinced Tony to buy for you..." He stroked his thumb over her knuckles, inhaling the scent of her hair which the nurses came and cleaned whenever he was asleep. "Please come back, Darcy. I need you. I- I love you..." he whispered the last words, then stilled, eyes widening as he felt her shift.  
"Bruce...?" He raised his head, and watched her sleepily open her eyes, blink at him, then smile faintly before falling into regular sleep. Bruce was so, so relieved that he very nearly cried. Especially when the other guy came bounding eagerly forth in his mind, babbling Darcy's name hopefully. _"She's alright,"_ he told him. _"She's alright..."_

\---

"So. Word is that you stayed by my side the whole time I was out, give or take a few minutes." Darcy was still recovering, so Bruce's gaze rose sharply from the screen in front of him, the other guy rumbling in displeasure at Darcy exerting herself so soon.  
"You should be resting."  
"No hello from my shining knight? And you were literally shining, Bruce. Both you and Hulk were doing some pretty hardcore sweating, based on the footage everywhere. Also, since when am I a damsel in distress?" Funnily enough, her shirt for today read 'Self-Rescuing Princess'.  
"Darcy, your ribs aren't fully healed, and I know the shrapnel cuts can be reopened with too much exertion."  
"I'll borrow the hovering chair Tony made for Clint if it gets too much," she said, waving a flippant hand.  
"Darcy, even th- even Hulk is concerned." That made her pause, then she smiled and walked over, wrapping an arm around his neck and leaning her head on his shoulder.  
"That's because you and Hulk are sweet guys."  
"Darcy-"  
"If it hurts too much, I'll tell you. I honestly feel pretty okay right now. So, what are you working on?" Bruce cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable, but he answered anyway.  
"I'm working on a formula for something similar to Cap's armour."  
"Why?"  
"So- So you won't get hurt again." Damn, his voice wavered. She looked up at him, eyes understanding, and Bruce only wished he wasn't too cowardly to tell her he loved her while she was awake.  
"You can't protect me from everything, Bruce."  
"I can try," he said, his voice sounding tight. Smiling, Darcy gave his shoulder a squeeze.  
"Lunch is in ten minutes." Walking towards the door, she paused halfway there. "I love you too." And then she was already halfway down the hallway by the time Bruce registered what she said, and the other guy had retreated again. This time though, he was _bashful_.

And so it was that Bruce Banner had to deal with the embarrassment of fainting in his lab.

**Author's Note:**

> I listened to 'No Light, No Light' and this came to mind. Wai.


End file.
